


He Who Took the Shot

by tildarcta



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Post-Episode: s04e10 Carnage of Krell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26192761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tildarcta/pseuds/tildarcta
Summary: In a universe where Pong Krell is shot by Rex, not Dogma.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala & CT-7567 | Rex
Comments: 36
Kudos: 85





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In the original script for Carnage of Krell it was Rex who shot the General, not Dogma. The creators have also stated that despite the circumstances, Dogma was going to go through a full trial and investigation following the incident. 
> 
> Apparently they only changed the shooter because they were hesitant to let Rex (The Perfect Soldier™ and a sort of role model for many younger viewers) do the deed, and it made sense for Dogma to take the shot. Well, I believe that Rex would have shot Krell had Fives taken better care of his gun.

“You’re shaking, aren’t you.”

He was. He could sense Fives, Dogma and Jesse in the room behind him and hoped they were too far to hear or see his trembling arm, the hand that was holding a gun pointed at Krell’s back.

“What are you waiting for? The Umbarans are getting closer.”

He was right, and Rex had a duty. A duty to keep his men alive and a duty to protect the Republic. And he was going to do that duty by killing an unarmed man, executing a Jedi General on his knees in a cell. What was he waiting for? Someone to pull the trigger for him?

“I have to do this,” he managed to rasp out, very much aware that he was talking more to himself than to anyone else. He was going against every order, doing the one thing that was forbidden in every rule book, and even though Krell was – a monster, he was a Jedi and a war hero, he outranked Rex in every way and Rex was about to execute him on enemy ground just like he had tried to have Fives and Jesse executed – 

“You can’t do it, can you”, Krell said and Rex was fairly sure he was right, and just as Krell could sense his fear, Rex could hear the mocking confidence in the Jedi’s voice. He could not do it. 

Krell continued in a very unconcerned tone.

“Eventually you’ll have to do the– “

He was interrupted mid-speech. Jesse shouted something, there was clang and a sound of a sudden skirmish from behind them, and Rex turned around to see Fives holding Dogma in an armlock with his gun on the floor. He did not stay to look and figure out what was happening, but whirled back in a sudden burst of _something_ , aimed, and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot silenced the whole room immediately. 

The sound of Krell’s final breath leaving his lungs, followed by the thump of his body hitting the floor was at the same time very real and very unreal. Then there was only silence.

Rex’s gun was smoking.

Dogma was standing stiffly with a stunned Fives next to him.

Jesse’s shoe moved against the floor sounding far louder than normally.

And Umbara around them was still dark.

Afterwards Rex was silent for a long time. He was taken into custody by the military police after voluntarily giving himself in. Fives accompanied him as they took him to one of the transport ships, and the confused quietness followed them throughout the whole journey from the planet’s surface to the _Negotiator_ that was stationed on the orbit.

The airlocks opened to the _Negotiator_ and the soft, cacophonic drumming of their feet spread over the corridor like a carpet. Everything felt wrong, and not just because Rex was being escorted by an armed squad of brothers tasked to keep him secured. The hallway itself was different.

It was difficult to explain – the problem was not that it was not the _Resolute_ , both ships were practically identical and besides, the _Resolute_ had been blown up. No, the problem was the emptiness. The void. That nothing was happening after so much had happened. Usually coming back to the ship after a campaign like this (‘this’ being long and exhausting in general) was a blessing, a moment of their own and a time when they were not directly under someone else’s commands, fighting for something they had not chosen.

Now –

The ships did not change. The hallway they had stepped into was just as grey and white as it always had been, but now it looked like a relic from an old world, something that was not supposed to exist anymore. What right did the hallway have to stay the same, when nothing else was the same anymore? 

_Questioning the rights of_ hallways _now? Well done, soldier._ The hallway probably had more rights than him, but nobody ever thought to notice them. The hallway was independent. No one ever gave it orders. It just kept on existing. The _hallway_ would never be ordered to _kill_ – 

Kriffing Krell.

Appo and the other MPs took him to the brig near the core of the ship, into a small room with dim lights and a hard bench next to the far wall. Appo did not say a word and if Rex had to guess, it was probably because he would not have known what to say. Fives was the last to stay in the cell.

“It’s gonna be all right, Rex”, he assured and patted Rex’s shoulder. “You did the right thing.” Rex nodded grimly.

“Thank you, Fives”, he said. Fives looked at him for a second and then left him alone, the door swishing close behind him.

Rex sighed. The ship hummed under and around him, life support working tirelessly to keep the air breathable and the temperature above zero, artificial gravity keeping him seated on the bench and weighing him down like the Kaminoan oceans had been placed on his shoulders. He did not have his helmet on, it had been taken from him with his guns back on Umbara. 

It seemed pointless to keep the rest of his armour on, so he slowly stripped it away piece by piece, until he was down to his blacks. After a moment of thought however, he slipped the plates below his knees back on, not exactly sure why. It just felt better, and Rex felt something resembling satisfaction in making a choice based just on that.

He set the other pieces neatly in a pile that would make any shiny jealous and pushed them to rest against a wall, then returned to sit on the bench and think.

They would be taking him back to Coruscant. He would undergo an investigation, several interrogations and eventually a trial. He did not know who exactly would be in charge of the investigation. It could be the Republic authorities, higher ranking clones or the Jedi, or possibly all of them.

_I did the right thing._

Rex was an experienced soldier. He had been a part of the war for long enough to know that he was a good one too. And really, to be the captain of the 501st legion meant others had to know it as well. But right at that moment, as he sat alone in the dark with slumped shoulders and his head bowed, he felt like a total failure. No matter the circumstances, he had led his men against their brothers, had let good men die in vain, and had he been able to realize how bad the situation was in time, he probably could have saved them. 

It would be up to others to decide whether what he had done was right or not.

Until then, there was nothing he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear, this is my first posted multi-chapter story ever, short as it may be. I have written quite a bit already and for the first time I have a feeling I might get to the end. Fingers crossed?
> 
> If you notice any mistakes, don't hesitate to let me know! Love from my world to yours, whatever it may be.


	2. Chapter 2

The _Negotiator_ reached Coruscant after over a week in hyperspace. 

He had been interrogated on board just a couple of hours after leaving Umbara by the same MPs who first escorted him on board. 

_Captain Rex, you have been brought here on the charge of shooting and killing a superior officer in violation of section three of the first chapter of Republican Military Legislation, further described in subsections five through seven._

They took him into a shuttle, someone’s hand securely on his shoulder as he sat down. It stayed there through the whole journey from the moment they took off to the moment they touched down on the landing platform next to the Republic Intelligence Headquarters, and was there when he stood up.

The first thing he registered once he stepped outside the shuttle was the light. It was late morning, and even in the highly regulated atmosphere of Coruscant where traffic and buildings hid most of the natural seasons, he could smell autumn in the humid air that spoke of recent rainfall. Humidity that would have been freezing if it weren’t for the sun. 

The Sun. 

Never had the sight of a nearby star made him feel so relieved before. The cool golden light made the memory of darkness fade a thousand times more effectively than the endless hours of artificial lighting onboard the _Negotiator_. 

Then he was taken inside and the effect faded, the sun was replaced with cold fluorescence behind metal grids once more. And the interrogation continued.

_The charges are as follows. CT-7567 of the rank of Captain, deliberately shot and killed the Jedi General Krell currently on duty on enemy ground. Before this, CT-7567 continuously allowed disobedience of said General’s orders among his subordinates and eventually prompted an attack against him, resulting in several deaths and the eventual capture of the General, as further described in the report._

Rex kept his face blank and his eyes on the wall behind the table.

“You have confirmed these accusations to be true.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Care to tell me what actually happened?”

The officer sitting on the other side of the table was a middle-aged man called Kio. Rex wasn’t normally the type to pay attention to such details, but the dark blonde of his hair and the brown eyes really did not go well with the grey uniform. He had not been aware that that was even possible. 

Kio frowned and tapped his fingers on the table, a gesture that under the circumstances spoke of a surprisingly civilized individual. 

“I’m sure you have been already briefed, Sir”, Rex stated without looking at him.

“And I’m sure you know that’s not how interrogations work. I need to hear this from you.”

Rex shifted his feet. He was still wearing his shin and knee guards, but other than that, he was just in his blacks. The absence of the hard plates between him and the rest of the world made him feel exposed, and he had to work harder than usual to keep his demeanour neutral. 

“General Krell was playing against the Republic”, he explained. “Any of my men will tell you the same. He had to be stopped before he could continue causing more losses.”

“And the shooting?”

“We couldn’t risk him falling into enemy hands. He would have told them everything, as he himself told us.”

Kio hummed and leaned back. “And he told you this when…?”

Rex told him the time, eyes still set on the wall, where he had found an annoyingly protruding bolt. Kio wrote his notes into his datapad with careful concentration.

“Thank you. Now I’m going to ask you to tell me everything again, and in detail.”

Rex went stiff. 

“Sir. I already wrote this down on the way here, isn’t that enough?” Kio shook his head, eyes downcast.

“Nothing replaces a story told face to face, Captain. Were we to run into a situation where the information given to us needed confirmation, the way it was delivered can be just that.”

Rex did not like the sound of that one bit. 

“Sir– “

“Captain.” Kio interrupted him and shifted forward, leaning his arms on the table. Involuntarily Rex turned to look at him.

“We need this. I have read your report and based on that I understand that this can be, shall we say, uncomfortable. However, no matter how clear the evidence might be, this is a matter of the highest importance. It concerns the deaths of dozens of soldiers, the respectability and immunity of the Jedi and quite frankly, the prowess and performance of all the clones. So please”, he nodded his head, “tell me everything from the start.”

Rex gave up. 

“What would you consider the start, Sir?” he said quietly. 

“The arrival of General Krell?”

Rex nodded.

And he spoke. He spoke for over two hours, keeping up his hard and sober soldier’s mask. He told the officer how Krell had arrived, how he had refused to acknowledge their identities and needs as people, how his tactics had become more and more reckless over time and how he had shot down every idea that potentially could have saved lives. How he had tried to have two of his men executed after successfully completing a mission he had not authorized. Every now and then Kio interrupted him to ask for additional or more precise information. Against his expectations Rex found out that the talking was purifying in a strange way, if not for the looming trial in the future. He thanked his luck for the presence of Captain Kio, as among the Republic officers, compassion or even humanity were not self-evident.

When Rex started to talk of the confrontation with the 212th, he had to stop.

“Would you like some water?” Kio asked. 

“Please”, Rex rasped, and Kio rose himself to get him a glass. Rex resumed his story balancing his voice between monotonous shouting and broken whispering.

When he finally reached the part where they had descended down to the cells, his voice was all but gone. 

“So it was you, Fives, Jesse and Dogma?”

“Yes.” Force, he sounded terrible.

“Could you state their ranks and numbers?”

“They are in my previous report.”

“Humour me.”

Rex did and continued.

“Krell kept talking like nothing was bothering him at all, like he was laughing at us for not being brave enough to stand up to him properly. I don’t know.” He shook his head. If he were completely honest, he did not even want to know, and he hoped to keep his thoughts as far from knowing as possible. What difference could it make?

“What were the others doing?”

“Just looking, keeping watch.”

“All of them? Even Dogma?”

“Well”, Rex hesitated. “I believe Dogma was… understandably upset. He seemed like he wanted to do something.” He still wasn’t sure what had happened behind his back, but he had a hunch which he was not about to speak of.

“He didn’t do anything though. I shot Krell.” 

Kio nodded and tapped something into the device in his hands. 

“Thank you, Captain. If you remember any specifics about what the General said, I’d be most grateful.”

“He… Mostly he mocked me for not having the guts to take the shot.”

“Do you remember his exact words?”

“He asked if I was shaking and said that I can’t do it.”

“Were you?”

“Sir?”

“Shaking. You and I both know the Jedi can sense quite a lot.”

“Uh…” Rex swallowed. At this point he was not sure anymore if the information was actually useful or not. “I believe I was”, he admitted quietly. 

“Why?” Kio asked, tilting his head.

“Well, I… I was going to shoot a superior officer.”

“But you believed you had the right to do so.”

“I did.”

“Do you still believe it?”

Rex closed his eyes and opened them slowly, considering. He had had this conversation with himself over and over again in the depressing stillness of the _Negotiator_. Every time he questioned himself and every time he ended up with the same conclusion. And then he questioned that conclusion and started the whole process once more from the beginning.

“Yes”, he croaked with his abused voice, but with certainty nonetheless. And felt the immediate wave of guilt and uncertainty that followed.

“I see”, said Kio. “And what happened afterwards?”

Rex gave him a brief account of the events, after which he wished that he wouldn’t have to speak anything at all for the next week. His throat was dry and aching, and he savored the last gulps of water in the glass. He felt very raw.

Kio tapped his last notes and set the device on the table. 

“We will be questioning some of the other witnesses later today”, he explained, fingers crossed on the table. “It is possible that the Jedi will send their own representatives to talk to you as well, all things considered. If anything else comes to your mind – anything at all”, he paused to look at Rex seriously, “it would be in everyone’s best interests to let us know. The trial will be held in the following two to three weeks depending on how long it will take us to get all the information we need.”

“Where will I be?”

“In confinement. You will be appointed a lawyer to help you with the process. Good day to you Captain, and thank you for you cooperation.” Kio stood up, took his notes and left Rex sitting in his chair. After the door closed, three security guards in white and red entered and guided him out, through the long corridors and into another one of those identical cells that every Republic ship and building had.

The door closed behind them and he was once more left alone.

In confinement. He had hoped he would have been able to stay in the barracks at Coruscant, even if it meant constant supervision. He could have taken comfort in the presence of his brothers and their talking, and the life would have distracted him from his own mind and memories. 

Rex settled down on the bench, curled onto his side face towards the wall, and knowing full well what awaited him in his dreams, let sleep take him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter, which I intend to post tomorrow, will be slightly less depressing. I know this because I wrote it. Now I intend to enjoy my newly purchased calendar that for the first time ever I'm going to actually use.


	3. Chapter 3

Anakin was so shocked that for a moment he actually managed to sit still.

Then his brain caught up with what he had just heard and he jumped from his seat, chest so full of fire that he was sure Master Yoda could see the flames through his eyes.

“How is that even _possible_!”

“Very sorry I am, young Skywalker”, Yoda sighed and looked even older than usual. “Know I do not, how missed this, we did.”

“Where is my Captain?”

“In custody he is, here on Coruscant. Waiting for a trial he is.”

“What.”

Yoda seemed mournful and annoyed at the same time.

“Protocol, this is. If truthful he is, free he will be in couple of weeks, I believe.”

Anakin fumed. “Master, if he is right – and he is – Rex has been through _hell_! He has to be released _now_.”

“Please, Skywalker, sit.”

“No. I need to talk to my men.” 

Yoda frowned and tapped his stick to the floor. “Help no one you will, if listen you will not. Sit down.”

Anakin glared and sat.

“How we lost Master Krell, we know not. How to move on, we do.”

“I need to talk to Rex, Master.”

“You will.”

“That kriffing slimeball of a besalisk”, Anakin growled, squeezing his fists until his knuckles were white. He needed something to break. A small building would do nicely.

“Dead he is. Nothing more can you do.” 

“So why the trial?”

Yoda sighed again and turned his face towards the window, letting the pale light touch his skin. 

“Absolutely certain, we must be”, he muttered, eyes searching for something in the clouds outside. “Very unusual this is, no room for errors.”

“Rex doesn’t do errors.”

“Good to hear this is, that trust your captain so well you can. But trusted Krell too, we did.” Anakin snorted. 

“Yeah, right.”

“Agree with him on many occasions, I did not”, Yoda explained, turning back and circling his short fingers tighter around his cane. “But see _this_ , I did not.”

Anakin ignored the sorrow and the subtle hint of agitation in his voice.

“When can I talk to Rex?”

“The only soldier in your legion, he is not”, Yoda reminded him. “Others too, need you they might.”

“And I’ll speak to them, but I need to see Rex first.”

“In questioning I believe he is. Later see him you can. Maybe do something more useful in the meantime you could?”

Anakin frowned. “Did you have something specific in mind?”

“Senator Amidala, your friend she is. Know more about the trial to come, she might.”

Anakin’s lowered brows jumped a whole lot higher. 

“You know, Master”, he said slowly and slightly doubtfully, “That might not be a bad idea.”

“Grand Master I am. Desirable it would be, if bad my ideas were not.”

Anakin found Padmé in her (their) apartment, sitting behind the desk and scrolling through what looked like an illegally boring article. The angel reading the article was anything but. 

“Anakin!” She lifted her gaze, and from her expression Anakin gathered that she already knew. 

“You heard then”, he asked and Padmé stood up, nodding.

“I heard something. Not everything.”

Anakin took the necessary steps to reach the sofa and collapsed onto it, waiting for Padmé to take a seat next to him in a considerably more elegant manner, arranging her expensive-looking blue dress on the way.

“Krell was a traitor”, he said, leaning his arms onto his knees. “He used his rank to sabotage and kill my men. Rex shot him.” He snarled. “They have him in custody, waiting for a trial.”

“Have you seen him?” Padmé asked. “I actually think it’s odd that none of us heard about this sooner.”

“No, they are interrogating him. Master Yoda actually asked if you could help.” Padmé looked surprised.

“That’s new.”

“I know. Will you?” Padmé tilted her head questioningly. 

“Help? Of course. I presume you mean the legal side of this.”

“Yes. I just want Rex to have someone who knows what’s going to happen and who can make sure he doesn’t have to go through any more than he already has.” 

Something gentle blossomed in Padmé’s eyes. She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around Anakin’s shoulder. At times like this she was fiercely grateful for an apartment so high up.

The warmth coming through the window gathered in Anakin’s dark clothes and she smiled.

“The public is missing quite a lot Anakin, when all they get are the stories of your victories on the battlefield.”

Anakin huffed, worry evident on his face and thoughts far away.

“You have one of the kindest hearts I have ever known”, she whispered. “I’ll make sure Rex gets out of there as soon as possible. I’ll talk with you in the evening.” Then she kissed his cheek, got back onto her feet and went back to work.

When Rex woke up in the evening (or what he assumed was the evening), he traded one darkness into another. Quite frankly he felt miserable. The continuous humming of the cell was becoming increasingly familiar by now, only the faint movements and sounds of the ship had disappeared.

Three more weeks.

Three more weeks and then this nightmare would be over, and he could go back and return to the front. And if that felt like a comforting thought, then it only spoke of how he felt at the moment. Three more weeks, unless they decided that he was not fit for duty.

 _Oh_ Force _, please let that not be the case._

He had not slept enough.

Had he slept enough? He felt sluggish and numb. Rex thought for a moment and decided that he had been asleep for around six hours. Maybe seven. More than enough.

_If I were sensible, I would use this time to exercise._

The idea of sit-ups and push-ups and the cold metal floor was not inviting in the least.

He did it anyway.

The guards brought him food an hour later.

“Have they questioned Fives and the others yet”, Rex asked as he accepted the tray. 

The guard had not removed his helmet, but a lifetime in similar gear taught one to read other signs than the face as well. The guard’s posture was unsure and almost apologetic as he shifted. Rex had to wonder how much they had heard of what was going on. Probably something at least. The 501st was one of the most famous legions and with the 212th being mixed in this mess as well, it would have been odd if nothing had leaked outside. The guard shook his head slightly.

“I’m afraid I’m not authorized to say, Captain.”

“This isn’t a secret investigation. No one is trying to hide anything.” He realized how stupid an argument that was the moment it left his mouth.

“I’m sorry, Sir”, the guard said. “I’m not allowed to tell you anything.” Rex sighed.

“I see. Thank you.”

The door closed.

Rex sat back down and took a look at the food on the tray. _Could have been worse._

After just another eternity that might have been fifteen minutes or three hours, the door opened again, but the woman to enter was not any of the people Rex had been expecting.

“Senator Amidala!” He stood hastily up and took a step towards the door, where the Senator turned to ask the guard to close the door.

“It will be quite alright, thank you”, she said and smiled as the guard retreated back into the corridor. The door closed with a muted wham, and the Senator, looking just as beautiful and  
stylish as ever, turned to Rex and smiled discreetly.

“Good evening, Captain” she greeted, and Rex nodded low enough for it to be considered a bow if one wished to.

“Senator, this is an unexpected pleasure.”

“It is good to see you too again, Captain.”

Rex and the Senator did not know each other very well. They had met before of course, but Rex could count the times they had actually spoken to each other with just the fingers of one hand. Their world were very far from each other despite the fact that on the surface they dealt with the same issues. This did not make him respect her any less.

“Please, take a seat”, the Senator said kindly and pointed towards the bench. Rex sat down and the Senator joined him on the other end, angling herself so they were more or less facing each other. 

“What brings you here?” Rex inquired, taking dull pleasure in the company of someone who did not look like they were hiding a gun ready in case he tried to attack. She might, but he doubted it. 

“I heard about your situation. I wish to offer my help.”

“I take it you have spoken with General Skywalker then”, he said with a quiet defeat.

“I have. Please allow me to offer my apologies for everything you’ve gone through recently. I have made myself familiar with the details of your case and would like to offer myself as an advocate.”

Rex shook his head.

“Please, Senator, I’m going to get a lawyer in any case, and the last thing I want to do is to bother you. It must be… What time is it?”

“Quarter to nine.”

“Ma’am, please. I appreciate your help, but it’s late, and you should be getting home to spend the rest of the day in peace. I will manage just fine.” The Senator smiled.

“Captain, I’m not here because Anakin asked me to be. I’m here because I want to be. I admit that we have not gotten to know each other as well as I’d like to, but from what I’ve heard, you are one of out finest men. And from what I’ve seen, I’m quite ready to believe that.”

Rex felt something warm in his chest, but it faded quickly.

“Thank you, Senator”, he said quietly. “For saying that.”

“Anytime. Now”, she said and drew a datapad from her small bag, “Let’s go over the main points. We can continue this tomorrow, but I’d like to get started today. Let the subconscious deal with the problems during the night.”

“If you really wish to, Ma’am.” The Senator glanced at him with worry.

“Am I troubling you, Captain? I certainly don’t wish to disturb.”

“Not at all”, Rex assured. “Please, continue.” If anything, he was rather glad. He knew he could trust her and he’d rather go over all this pain and darkness with someone he knew rather than a complete stranger. Senator Amidala also happened to have a very calming presence, for which he was grateful.

“Very well”, she said. “Now the question obviously is, did you make the right call. There are several parts to that. One, you authorized for two of your men – Fives and Hardcase? – to act against General Krell’s orders. Your plan worked of course, and probably saved lots of lives, so I don’t see any problem in that, considering what eventually occurred. Second, you indirectly approved another similar mission.” She scrolled further on her notes and Rex took some comfort in the fact that she had called Fives and Hardcase by their names rather than ranks or numbers. Then he wondered if the war would have already been over if everyone in the Senate was as efficient as she appeared to be.

“Third”, she continued, “You refused to follow orders to execute troopers Fives and Jesse. Again, I sincerely agree with you. Fourth, you ordered the arrest of General Krell and eventually executed him.”

Rex kept his face straight as the Senator listed his record. What she said next however, dropped his heart into his stomach, no matter how truthful she was.

“Those things can all be bundled into one question, were you right to take action against Krell. The opposite opinion we have to consider and be prepared for is, did you take the action too late.”

Rex swallowed and took a breath before speaking.

“Do you need me to tell you the whole story?”

“No need for that”, she said and he felt a wave of cold relief. “I have seen the recording of your earlier questioning.”

“Just how much trouble have you already gone through?” Rex asked incredulously. “That wasn’t a ten-minute chat.”

“No it wasn’t”, said the Senator. “But it was very helpful, and because of it I’m sure we can get you out of here soon.”

Rex bowed his head, wondering if he was the only one of them who felt the heavy atmosphere of the room so heavily. “I’m not sure about that, Ma’am”, he muttered. “As you yourself said, there are two sides to this. I believe I should have acted earlier.”

“And I believe”, said the Senator without a beat, “that you did everything just right. Truly. Krell had the trust of the Jedi Council for years, of course you hesitated. Even Anakin had a hard time believing it.”

She smiled again and stood up. 

“You may have dark times behind you, Captain, but you also have a bright future. Hold onto that.”

She knocked on the door and waited for the guard to open it, then left with a final wave.

Rex was left sitting on the bench trying to imagine a future without the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Padmé is our main man when someone needs legal help  
> 2\. I love Yoda


	4. Chapter 4

“Do you know how the boys are doing?” Rex asked the next day as he and the Senator were once again seated on the bench of his cell. She was typing furiously, but Rex had a hunch she would never stop unless he stopped her. She looked up.

“They’re a bit shaken”, she said. “They’re worried about you and what’s going to happen next, but Anakin is with them, don’t worry. As is Master Obi-Wan.”

“General Kenobi is still on Coruscant?” Rex was surprised. Pleased, as the General had a calming effect on everyone he spoke to and his men sure as hell could use that, but surprised. The Senator nodded.

“Yes. The Council granted both the 501st and the 212th a two-week leave, or until this mess is sorted out.” She raised an eyebrow, the datapad completely forgotten and her attention wholly on Rex. “And a good thing that they did. No one should be forced back on duty so fast after something like this.”

“I’m glad you think so”, Rex told her.

The next day she came back with Captain Kio. 

“I have some questions I’d like to ask you”, Kio said and drew an extra chair from the corridor outside before the door closed. Senator Amidala took a seat next to Rex, back straight in her own curiously soft manner.

“Of course”, Rex said tiredly. The circles under his eyes were turning darker every day, and he was more than fine with the lack of mirrors in his cell. That meant the only times he had to see himself were the times when the guards took him to the showers, and even then he tried to avoid it.

“You told me about the moment you shot General Krell”, Kio said and Rex had to do everything in his power to stop himself from showing the desperation on his face.

“I did”, he said cautiously neutrally instead.

“Could you tell me again, what happened then. As accurately as you can, please.”

Rex nailed his gaze on the crease where the floor met the wall and kept his voice level.

“I asked him to turn around and get on his knees. Once he obeyed, we lowered the force field.”

“Who did that?”

“I’m sorry?”

Kio nodded towards the cell door. “Who lowered the force field?”

“I’m…” Rex hesitated. “I’m not sure. I had my back to the others. But I’d guess it was Jesse, Fives was holding Dogma.”

“Dogma who had been let out only moments earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Please continue.”

“The General said something about me being in the position of power and kept on talking. I shot him in the back.”

Kio frowned and tapped his fingers on his knee and Rex cringed inwardly, sensing a question on his lips. The Senator said nothing.

“What were the others doing?” Kio asked. 

“I had my back to them, Sir. I don’t know.”

“Surely you must have heard something. You said earlier you felt like the trooper Dogma wished to act.”

“Fives might have been holding him, he seemed like he wanted to move. I don’t remember anything else.”

“Are you absolutely certain?”

Rex wished for the man to disappear in a sudden burst of flames.

“I don’t remember anything else”, he repeated, firmly and without looking at anyone.

Kio nodded his thanks and left.

During the next five days Rex had several visitors. Kio dropped in three times, always asking something new. He had a visit from a group of three Jedi, none of whom he knew and who questioned him about the actions and behavior of Krell. Senator Amidala started bringing food with her which she shared with him every time they talked, only stating that she had never seen anything duller than the meals they served here. On the fifth day General Skywalker came in.

“This is so unfair, Rex”, he ranted, walking back and forth in the small space. “I’ve been trying to get them to let you out of here, but they won’t listen.”

Rex watched him wearily from his bench and could not help but feel an odd trace of amusement. The General was not exactly the most diplomatic of people, but he was an unstoppable force and fiercely protective of his men. How ironic that the unmovable object turned out to be the Republic bureaucracy instead of some Separatist battle plan. 

“It’s all right, General. Thank you”, Rex said and watched his General slide onto the floor, back against the wall. He looked tired too, but even so he seemed to fill the room completely with his presence. It was something Rex had never completely understood, but he suspected that might have had something to do with the Force. 

“I’m so kriffing sorry, Rex”, the General muttered. “This was never supposed to happen.”

Rex closed his eyes against the never changing cold light of the cell and breathed through his nose. Long, deep breaths that he hoped would cleanse him somehow. He breathed through the dark mist inside his head, breathed through the shadowed battlefield full of men in white armour and through the cold, humid and stale air, until his mental walls were strong enough to look at the man sitting in front of him again.

“It was never your fault, Sir”, he said softly and refused to listen his General’s objections.

“We’ll get you out of here soon”, he promised as he finally stood to leave. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

After the door closed again, Rex did pushups until his arms trembled.

“I brought us some cheese”, Senator Amidala told him as she sat down on the cell floor and folded her legs gracefully. 

“We are going to eat cheese on the floor?” Rex wondered and the Senator smiled playfully. 

“It’s a picnic”, she explained and lifted a plate full of different varieties of cheese, fruits and crackers from a basket. “I even brought honey. I didn’t know if you drink alcohol so I didn’t take wine, but I hope you like hemilota juice.”

“I have to confess I’ve never tried it”, he muttered bemusedly as he lowered himself next to the Senator. “I don’t have much experience with cheese either.”

“You poor man!” exclaimed the Senator and proceeded to pour him a glass of something dark purple. “Hemilota is a fruit that grows on Orto Plutonia. It’s one of my favourites.” She handed him the glass, and Rex tried not to think too much of the colour of the liquid. Fortunately the taste was far from what he associated the shade with, rich and deep and only slightly sweet. The food wasn’t bad either.

They talked about the latest developments of the case for over two hours while the Senator, whom Rex had cautiously started calling Padmé in his mind, taught him the finesses of eating cheese.

“They have decided the court day”, she told him while pouring herself another glass of juice. Rex turned his head to look at her.

“Have they made good progress then?” 

Padmé nodded. “They have. It was to be expected of course, this is quite a clear case and no one is trying to hide anything. We have four days.”

Four days. That was less than he had expected.

He was not sure whether that was good or not.

Padmé seemed hesitant. 

“I have been avoiding this topic, you might have noticed”, she began and set her glass down on the floor. “But I’ve been hoping to talk to you about the attack on Obi-Wan’s men.”

“What about it”, Rex asked, fighting the sudden weight that had appeared inside his ribcage and was threatening to push him down. Tendrils of dark mist gathered at the edges of his consciousness, someone shouted. Rex ignored that.

“We’ve pretty much covered everything else during the last days, and I admit I might have had to talk about this sooner. I have, however, spoken with some of the others already.”

“Others of my men?”

“And Master Kenobi’s.” Padmé lifted her chin and looked at him with utmost dignity and kindness. “I confess that military strategy is not my area of expertise, but I have been fortunate to have Anakin, Master Obi-Wan and you among others to help me understand. Now I need your help to understand what happened then.”

Rex nodded, mouth dry.

“I understand it was the General who told you the enemy would be wearing clone armour?”

“Yes.”

“Is this a common tactic?”

He shifted on the floor until he had one leg stretched almost straight, the other bent at the knee.

“It’s not unheard of”, he said gloomily. “It’s been done before, but never to this extent. The armour comes in one size only, so anyone who puts it on has to be at least close to our height and build.”

“And did Krell tell you how many of them there would be?”

“The word ‘massive’ was mentioned.”

“I see.”

Padmé whirled the juice in her glass, deep in thought.

“That’s why I decided to check one of the bodies in the first place”, Rex continued, when she did not. “It seemed slightly unconvincing for so many of the Umbarans to fit so well into our gear.”

“Did you suspect anything else at the time?”

“Do you mean the General? I… I might have. I knew something was up with him, but that he would order his own troops against each other, I– “  
He stopped and drew a shuddering breath. Padmé eyed him with concern. 

“I believe that’s enough for now. Thank you, Captain.”

She gathered the plates and put them back into the basket, then rose to her feet and smoothed the hem of her dress.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow”, she said gently and let her hand rest on Rex’s shoulder for a second, before knocking on the inside of the door and leaving Rex to sit alone in the middle of the room.

He stayed where he was, forcing his breathing to stay even and pressing his fists against his legs on the ground.

_You should have realized. No one launches a massive attack in enemy gear._

But the transmission had seemed real.

_Never assume without considering all the options._

That was just unrealistic and impractical.

_This is _war_ , soldier. You are a captain. Dozens, hundreds of men are DEAD._

The weight inside dragged him down bit by bit until he was hunched over, face behind his palms and trying to keep his body from trembling with everything he had left. He forced himself to inhale long and deep.

_Good soldiers don’t cry over losses._

Good soldiers don’t lose like that.

The door clanked again.

“I’m so sorry, Captain, I forgot to– “

Rex tried to gather himself hastily without much success and only managed to turn his face away. After a beat he heard soft steps and the rustling of a skirt, before the Senator sat down next to him. He felt the fabric of her clothes against the back of his hand.

“Rex.”

His name sounded… alien. 

Such a small word. 

Rex coughed and dragged his fingers over his eyes, the joint of his thumb digging into his temple.

“My apologies, Senator”, he rasped, wishing furiously for his helmet. “This isn’t…” Then he ran out of words and only sat there, eyes closed. A delicate arm found its way behind his back. Rex shivered at the unexpected contact that at the same he knew he should have expected. 

“No need.” Her voice was quiet but steady. “Out of the two of us it’s me who should apologize.” 

She took a more comfortable posture on the floor, every movement speaking of the fact that no matter how much she had gone through in her own life, she was not a soldier, not a killer. 

“I’m so terribly sorry for everything you’ve been through.”

She was a young woman trying to bring peace into a vast galaxy full of violence. Still…

Staring at the floor Rex could only hope that the crushing darkness could somehow be held at bay by the soft fingers against his shoulder.

Later that night after showering, Rex took some time to stand in front of the foggy mirror next to the sinks. He was alone in the space, the guards positioned outside, and so he just stood there staring at his haggard face through the window he had cleared with his palm.

The dark circles under his eyes were still there, the part of that cursed planet that was living under his skin and shining through.

He wrapped the towel tighter around himself and walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not completely sure if I'm satisfied with this one. I had to take a brake yesterday just to get my brain to work critically again, and even then I really can't tell if this is total garbage or just almost garbage. Have mercy, be kind and have a wonderful day while you're at it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this yesterday (and I sort of did), my apologies if you got a notification for nothing. I'll explain at the end.
> 
> Dogma's number or rank aren't revealed in canon, so I made them up. I've also taken lots of liberties with how trials work (but considering the arc with Ahsoka's trial, I'm going to claim that they did too). Anyway, this happened a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, so.

When the morning of the trial came, Rex was escorted by four guards into a small antechamber behind the courtroom, where several people stood waiting. Padmé was standing next to Kio, who was talking with a lady in an officer’s uniform whom Rex estimated to be in her sixties. Behind the three of them sat a Tholothian man, also in uniform.

“Good morning”, Padmé greeted him and Kio nodded.

“Captain”, he said and gestured for the guards to step back. “Good to see you again. Allow me to introduce you to Commander Fiona Depler” – the woman nodded solemnly – “and Colonel Ro-Min Salla. The Tholothian rose from his seat and greeted Rex formally.

“Colonel Salla will be the judge in this case, Commander Depler is prosecuting”, Kio explained and took his datapad from a chair. “Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to head to the courtroom. Good luck to all of you.” He disappeared through the door on Rex’s left.

Rex watched him go and then took a seat.

“So how does this work, Senator?” he asked. Padmé, wearing a very simple but formal black dress and hair in an elegant updo, stood next to him and turned just slightly away from the officers.

“We will enter first”, she told him. “You will be escorted by the guards just a little later. Others, that is, the jury, those involved with the investigation and other witnesses, are already there and they will be sitting further away from us.

“We begin with going through the facts of what we already know, and what Captain Kio and his team have discovered. Then Commander Depler will tell us her version of what happened or what should have happened. After that is my turn.”

Rex nodded.

“It’s going to go well”, Padmé added gently. “Trust me.”

“Is General Skywalker there?” Rex asked, as the thought suddenly popped into his head.

“Yes”, said Padmé. “As well as General Kenobi, Commander Cody and some of your men.”

“Fives?”

“Yes.”

Rex nodded again. He felt numb.

“All right then, everyone”, said Colonel Salla, glancing at the chrono. “Time to get this over with.” He straightened his jacket and walked into the courtroom with Commander Depler right behind him.

“I’ll see you soon”, Padmé told Rex and followed them into the soft murmur of people behind the wall.

Then the door closed and silence fell once more.

Rex sat in the grey light of the small room, staring at the corners and eventually letting his eyes rest for a moment on the clone guards. He looked at their armour, knew the clasps and straps hidden under the plastoid casing and how much each piece weighed. He knew what it was like to move around in it, what it was like to run and jump and shoot in it, what it was like to get hit in it.

He had killed in it and let others be killed in it, and on the other side of the door there was a jury, who would tell him whether he was still worth wearing it after that.

He bowed his head and waited for the call to enter.

Padmé left Rex in the antechamber and walked across the courtroom floor to the seat given to her. The room was just as grey and interesting as any other military building and not terribly large, maybe big enough for a hundred people and even then many seats were left empty. The decision had been made to keep the trial as private as possible. 

Anakin, Obi-Wan, four of their men and two other Jedi were sitting on the second row. The jury was seated on two platforms on the sides, Kio with a few others in front of them and at the back a handful of reporters and other representatives. Colonel Salla was sitting at the front behind a table and Commander Depler on the opposite side from Padmé. She crossed her ankles and arranged her hands in her lap.

Colonel Salla stood up.

“Good morning to all present”, he started in a strong, silvery voice and effectively silencing anyone still talking. “Today we will be handling case number 410-2-0076-2, concerning the actions and death of Jedi General Pong Krell, and the actions of the 501st Legion under the command of Clone Trooper CT-7567, also known as Captain Rex. I am Colonel Ro-Min Salla and will be in charge of this trial.” He eyed the people in the room.

“Before we start, I’m sure this is a matter that will evoke different emotions in everyone present. However”, he paused and Padmé was reminded why she had been impressed with him the first time they met, “it is my wish that we can handle this case with efficiency and logic, rather than feeling and passion. I would also like to remind everyone that unless something unexpected comes up, we wish to reach a conclusion in the matter of the Captain today already.”

Colonel Salla had been appointed as the judge immediately after the knowledge of the trial came. Padmé recalled talking to him about the practical issues only a couple of days afterwards and later looking him up in the military records the Senate kept open for its members. He had twenty years of active service, half of it in the navy and the rest in office, complete studies of military legislation and over five hundred cases in court over the last five years.

It was not difficult to see why he had been asked to be in charge of this one.

“Please escort the Captain inside”, he said quietly into a stationary commlink, and after a short moment the door on the far wall opened. Rex walked in with a guard on his both sides, and they guided him into a seat in front of the room on the same side where Padmé sat.

There was a rise of quiet murmur around the room. From the corner of her eye Padmé saw Anakin straightening in his seat and muttering something to Obi-Wan who shook his head. She turned her attention back to Rex.

His eyes had been searching for others in the room, stopping briefly on Anakin and his brothers, but now he was staring strictly forward, posture perfect and features hardened by the blank rigidity of a soldier.

 _He is scared_ , Padmé realized, pausing fleetingly to wonder when she had gotten to know Rex so well. She could not say, however, what he was afraid of. A possible sentence, or that the jury would think he had made a mistake, or something completely different?

Or maybe she was reading too deep into it. In any case, she suspected she was probably one of very few people in the room who even had a hunch of what was going on behind his mask.

“Please state your number, rank and station for the court.”

“CT-7567, captain in the 501st Legion.” 

“Captain, you are here today as a defendant, charged with shooting and killing a superior officer and disobedience in the line of duty.” The Colonel adapted an authoritative tone, and so it began.

Kio gave them what could only be described as a lecture of the military legislation, followed by the bare facts of what he and his team had gathered from different sources, including different reports, interrogations, recorded battle plans and the autopsy report of Krell’s body. Rex sat through the whole think without batting an eyelid. Then came the turn of the prosecution, and Commander Depler stood up.

“Thank you, Captain Kio”, she said without looking at him, but rather at everyone else. “As we all know, this has been a very unusual and a tragic series of events. What I think many of us forget as this war goes on, is that despite their efficiency, the clones are not machines, but just as the word suggests, clones. Clones of a human. And loss of life in any form of course, is every time a tragedy of its own.”

Commander Depler had a steely presence in every sense of the word. She was slim but sinewy, her hair was dark grey and her voice was cold and clear. Not to mention her way of speaking. Padmé was not exactly sure what to make of what she had just said. Rex’s expression had not changed.

“As humans however”, Depler continued, “they are capable of making mistakes, and as unfortunate as the actions of General Krell were, I believe that mistakes were also made by the clones, including the Captain. So let’s go over this one more time.”

She tapped something on her datapad and looked at the screen quickly before turning her attention back to the people inside the room.

“General Krell arrived on Umbara under orders from the Jedi Council and assumed command of the 501st Legion two days after the transmission was received. Captain”, she turned to look at Rex. “Did any of you know about this beforehand?”

“No, Sir”, said Rex, eyes somewhere above Padmé’s head.

“And what was his reception like among your troops?”

“We listened and adapted. Nothing out of usual.” Depler frowned.

“How usual could it have been? Several of your men as well as men from other battalions have confirmed that his demeanor was very unusual for a Jedi.”

“Every man is entitled to his opinion, Sir. That doesn’t change how we obey orders.”

“But eventually it did, didn’t it? Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”

“Only when his actions stared to become illogical and harmful.”

“And when was that, exactly?”

Rex was quiet for a moment. Padmé saw the muscles of his jaw clenching.

“We first asked the General to change his mind after having us walk without food, water or brakes for twelve hours.”

Padmé was very suddenly grateful that Anakin had been informed about the details of the events beforehand.

Depler continued for almost an hour, asking questions about every little detail and decision Rex and his men had made over the course of the campaign. Anakin seemed frustrated, Obi-Wan sophistically worried. After another eternity Padmé started to wish she had brought water with her.

“And how exactly did this make you feel?”

“Angry, disbelieving.”

“Why?”

“Sir, he had just deliberately ordered his own men to kill each other. Those men were my brothers, not toys for him to break.” The muscles around Rex’s eyes were tight and Padmé heard the strain in his otherwise calm voice. “They were living men, Sir.” 

“I see. So you stopped the attack and asked for volunteers to help in arresting General Krell.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Were they willing to do so?”

“Yes.”

“How willing?”

“I… did not have to ask them twice if that’s what you mean, Sir.”

Depler nodded.

“Let’s get to the execution, then. Why did you make the decision to shoot the General?”

“There was a full-scale attack heading to our position. Moments earlier the General had personally confirmed to us that given the chance he would escape and turn to the Separatists, giving away all our intel. I made the decision based on the possible scenarios.”

“Why did you let Lieutenant CT-4559 out before the execution?”

Rex blinked.

“I’m sorry?”

Depler tapped her datapad with a finger and read from her notes.

“You released Lieutenant CT-4559, also known as Dogma, out of his cell just before shooting General Krell. Why was he confined and why did you let him out?” Her gaze was stern.

“Dogma was originally taken to the brig after disobeying a direct order from me and turning his weapon against us while we were in pursuit of the General”, Rex explained after finding his words again. “I’m afraid I don’t recall letting him out, but I believe that must have been Fives. I did not make the decision.”

“But you approved of it.”

“Indirectly, yes.”

Depler made a satisfied nod and scrolled further on her notes. “Later you reported a skirmish that happened just before the execution, between Fives and Dogma.”

“Not a skirmish, Sir, but something that could have been. I was not looking.”

“Captain Kio”, Depler called. “Please tell me what you told me earlier about this skirmish.”

Kio rose to stand up and smoothed his shirt. Padmé had a bad feeling.

“As I previously stated, holorecordings of that room have not been obtained due to the alien technology and damaged files. However, we do have the short recording of sound from around that moment. Please, play that again.”

From the speakers positioned around the room they heard a soft humming they had heard once before, when Kio had first gone through the evidence. The humming got louder and a strange sound of a force field being lowered echoed through the room.

“Pause. Thank you. This”, said Depler, “is the moment Lieutenant Dogma is being released. Please continue.”

“ _Turn around. Step toward the wall._ ” Rex.

“ _On your knees._ ” Another short buzz as a force field was lowered and the dead General’s voice filled the space, vibrating in the walls.

“ _You’re in a position of power now. How does it feel?_ ” 

“ _I said_ ”, Rex’s voice was full of contempt, “ _on your knees._ ”

“ _It feels good, doesn’t it? But I can sense your fear. You’re shaking, aren’t you? What are you waiting for? The Umbarans are getting closer._ ” 

Padmé had heard these recordings before the trial. She did not like them, it was as if she could feel the toxicity and fear leak through the voices. The room started to feel smaller and darker, and had she suffered of claustrophobia, she probably would have asked to leave. The ghost voice of Rex spoke again. 

“ _I have to do this._ ”

“ _You can’t do it, can you? Eventually you’ll have to do the–_ “ The speech was interrupted by a sudden rush of noises: something clanked, steps were taken and someone muffled a shout. Then there was a gunshot, then only silence.

“Thank you, that’s enough”, said Depler, and the recording was paused again. "Captain?"

“These noises were difficult to interpret”, Kio explained slowly. “One possibility is however, as the Commander has suggested, that their origin is an assault.”

“What I am proposing”, Depler's voice was cold and businesslike, “is that those sounds we last heard were the result of a soldier being forcefully subdued. What was the motive for letting Dogma out? To make him watch. And as he tried to stop the execution, he was beaten as a revenge from his earlier actions. It’s hard to find a soldier without violent bruises on their body, so the cover was perfect. 

“As we have heard over and over again during this day, the atmosphere in the 501st Legion was violent. There were mutinous attitudes almost from the moment the General arrived and we have heard the testimonies of those who wanted to act right from the start, as you can read in the material given to you. The General’s orders were not obeyed, he was angrily objected and when the smallest opportunity showed itself, he was executed.

“I am not defending the General”, her pitch went low, “but I am saying that due to the violent manner these men, and especially the Captain, have acted in, a lot more was lost than should have been. I accuse” – she turned to fully look at Rex, who had not moved a bit – “Captain CT-7567 of disobeying a senior officer, mutiny, as he approved the secret missions against him even before there was a reason to act, assaulting a subordinate and executing a Jedi General without authorization. I demand him to be removed from the command of the 501st Legion and to be sentenced five years in Republic prison.”

“Your honor!” Padmé stood up before Anakin behind her had a chance to start yelling. “May I ask for evidence of this supposed assault? We have heard from Lieutenant Dogma and he has given us a perfectly consistent explanation of what happened!”

Colonel Salla gave Depler a questioning look.

“I have questioned him several times. I believe he is lying out of both loyalty and fear towards his fellow soldiers and especially the Captain.”

“You lie!” growled one of the clones behind Padmé, but it was impossible to tell who.

“Maintain order, please”, asked the Colonel.

“The prosecution rests”, announced Depler.

“The defense asks for a fifteen-minute break”, said Padmé.

“Granted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to divide the last chapter into two parts, because it just kept growing and growing. As a result I stared at this for hours yesterday, until it was too much o'clock, my eyes were probably pointing in wrong directions and my brain had abandoned me. I posted this chapter, realized that I had marked the parts with emphasis wrong and as a result the text was not in italics, but the ">" characters in formatting had drawn a beautiful if slightly terrifying and very long zigzag pattern in the raw text. I gave up and deleted the chapter. 
> 
> But! The next chapter is already written and I'll post it later today.


	6. Chapter 6

Padmé breathed slow and deep as the people flowed slowly back into the courtroom. The situation was not ideal, but it was far from hopeless too. She had spoken with Rex – he was absolutely sure Dogma had not been lying.

“He’s a good kid”, Rex had said. “And he learned a valuable lesson. I just hope it could have been under different circumstances.”

She closed her eyes and kept them closed until the Colonel started speaking again.

“Until this very incident, General Krell has had the trust of the military _and_ the Jedi Order, despite his high casualty rates having been known.” Her voice was strong as she spoke. Anakin’s blazing eyes were on her and in them a mixture of hatred towards the injustice of the accusations against Rex and the hope and admiration towards her. She drew extra power from that.

“In preparing for this trial, we have interviewed several of the men he has previously led, and they have all acted in the same way. First they were unusually quiet, then when directly asked, they revealed the actual atmosphere and thoughts among them while under Krell’s command. And every time the answer was the same. Doubtfulness, astonishment, indisposition and shock.” She paused to let the words sink in and took the time to study the people in the auditorium. Most of them were of course military – this was the court martial – but on their faces Padmé saw very varied thoughts. There was worry and indifference, consideration and speculation. This was a game of logic and emotion, and Padmé intended to win. So she continued.

“Only this time, the General went further than before. He went too far. On Umbara, his actions became quickly far more reckless than before, culminating in the organized attack against his own troops. These soldiers, these _men_ ”, she emphasized her words, “have the genetic code of a fighter. It is not in their nature to watch from the sides, when injustice is done.”

She turned to look at Rex. He looked back with expressionless eyes.

“Their job is to protect us, and that means protecting it from the inside as well. Among them Captain Rex is one of our finest with one of the most impressive records. Why should he suddenly throw that all away and start acting against the regulations? Because something, someone to be more precise, forced him to. His only motive from the start has always been protecting the Republic, and protecting his men. These accusations about Lieutenant Dogma lying out of fear are simply ridiculous.” 

She kept going. She talked about Rex’s military record, his personality, the stress they had all been under on Umbara. She talked about their training and asked both Commander Cody and Anakin to testify. _One of our best in every aspect_ , Cody said, and gave his own account of the transmissions and reports they had gotten from the 501st during the campaign.

 _The best_ , said Anakin.

After she was done, there was another break. The jury retreated to negotiate, Rex returned to the antechamber. Padmé exchanged a few words with a very stressed Anakin.

“They can’t sentence him, can they?” he asked, covering his worry with annoyance. “It wouldn’t make any sense.” Padmé shook her head.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t, but I’m not on the jury.”

Anakin groaned and Obi-Wan escorted him back to their seats.

“Senator?”

Padmé turned and saw the men she now recognized as Fives and Tup standing close. They both had their hands clasped in front of them, backs straight and expressions worried, and under different circumstances she might have found their resemblance to schoolboys slightly amusing. Now she only looked at them solemnly, hoping that a trace of her sympathy towards them was still visible.

“What do you think”, Fives asked quietly. “And please don’t just make it sound pretty for us. We can take it.” 

Compassion was a bittersweet thing.

“I’m sorry. I truly can’t say for sure. It all depends on the jury now, and how they see this matter.” Fives nodded.

“Thank you anyway. We all owe you.” They turned and returned to their seats, and Padmé was left pondering their words.

“Well, this has been a rather long day”, stated Colonel Salla finally. His voice was just as it had been before, but Padmé sensed the fatigue underneath that everyone in the auditorium most likely shared. “Whatever the outcome is now, we shall go home after this and continue tomorrow. Has the jury reached a decision?”

“We have”, said a man in the front row, and Padmé draw a breath. “The decision was not unanimous.” Exhale. In his seat Rex looked as still as ever, if not slightly paler than usual.

“By the majority of eight against four, we find the accused not guilty.”

All at once the air seemed easier to breathe.

Anakin shouted in victory, as did all the soldiers sitting next to him. Colonel Salla confirmed the decision as final.

“This court declares the accused, CT-7567 cleared of all charges. You will return to service immediately.”

As a smile slowly spread on Padmé’s lips, the general rumble of a crowd standing up and warming up their vocal cords after a long period of silence filled the room. Padmé ignored the choir of laughing men behind her and searched for Rex. He was still sitting, staring at nothing and for the first time during the whole day, she saw his posture sag slightly.

She made her way to him.

“Are you all right?”

Rex swallowed. Then he inclined his head upwards until his nose pointed towards the ceiling, took a breath and looked down again.

“I don’t know.”

Padmé clasped her hands in front of her. 

“Is it because they weren’t unanimous?”

His silence was an answer enough. She heard Anakin and his friends making their way closer, and so she hurried slightly.

“Rex, these jury members were chosen to represent the whole Great Army of the Republic. You know just as well as I do that not all of them give you the value you deserve. I personally know two of those people that were with us today, and I’d bet my right hand they voted against you. They think a General, or a Jedi, or quite frankly any sentient being is somehow more precious than you are, and they are wrong. You are a good man, and you have done nothing to convince me otherwise.” She squeezed his hand quickly and smiled.

“A good verdict, congratulations”, uttered Captain Kio as he stopped in front of them. “No hard feelings, I hope.” Then he had to move forward with the other people leaving the room and his voice was replaced with one of the other soldiers.

“Rex!”

In a second they were surrounded by what felt like twenty people too much. Padmé slithered her way out but before she could take too many steps, Rex called her name and she turned back to look at him.

“Thank you, Senator”, he said. In all the ruckus and noise she more saw than heard his lips form the words, but the message was clear.

Padmé nodded, still smiling, and left the courtroom.

Rex exited the room surrounded by his men and generals. He felt odd.

_Not guilty._

_What does that even mean?_

The entrance hall they stepped into was one of the more decorative designs the military had in its buildings. It was not much – the floor was grey stone instead of grey metal, the roof was higher up than usual and the light panels were arranged more artistically. The biggest difference, however, were the windows. Several tall panels of grey-tinted glass panels that formed most of the outer wall. 

Rex stared at the sky behind them. 

“Congratulations once more, Captain”, said General Kenobi pleasantly. “A right call, if I may say so myself. I look forward to seeing you again, but now if you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to. Anakin?”

Rex watched General Skywalker sigh and leave with General Kenobi. “Talk to you later, Rex”, he called before disappearing behind a corner. Rex was left with his brothers, Padmé had gone a long time ago.

He was vaguely aware of the last people still inside slowly exiting the building.

He could do that now.

“Captain, I need to speak with you”, Fives said out of the blue. “Alone, if you don’t mind.”

Perplexed, Rex followed him into a restroom in a corridor nearby. It was empty, the hour was late and most of those who had attended the trial had already left. Fives stopped in front of the row of sinks and turned to look at Rex, his expression very serious.

“First of all, Sir, it’s good to have you back. The boys have missed you.” He took a breath. Rex regarded him curiously.

“Second of all, this whole mess has been nothing but a pile of bantha shit from start to finish, if you’ll excuse the language, and everyone knows for a fact you took the worst of it.

“So I think you could use this.”

And he took a step forward and drew Rex into his strong embrace without a hint of hesitation.

Rex lost his breath for a moment. Then the moment passed, and he brought his arms behind Fives’s back, digging his fingers into his shirt and closing his eyes against the faint burning behind them. 

No, he would not cry this time. There was no need. But neither did Fives show any signs of letting him go, and so he let himself just breathe the familiar smell of their clothes, sweat and unyielding persistence, his brother’s arms around him becoming the proof of what he had and what they stood for.

Fives held him tightly for a long moment before letting go.

“That is all, Sir.”

Rex chuckled weakly and stepped back to look him in the eyes, trying to convey everything he had to say.

“Thank you Fives”, he said and clapped his hand on Fives’s shoulder.

“It’s good to be back.”

When they walked back, Cody was there to clasp his shoulder, Tup and Jesse were chatting as if nothing had ever gone wrong, and Fives fell into step beside him.

“Kix made booze and he promised we could have some, so let’s go”, Jesse said, trying to walk faster.

“Some medic”, Tup commented.

“Hobbs bullied him into it. Kix makes it better than anyone else.”

Rex had to wonder.

“Sounds like you were quite optimistic”, he muttered as they neared the doors. “Or was it not for this occasion?” Jesse snorted.

“Come on, Captain, you knew they couldn’t keep you in. You’re the best we have and didn’t do anything wrong. This was the only possible outcome.”

Rex shook his head but did not protest. He had a feeling no one would listen.

“What about you”, he asked Cody, who shrugged.

“What is there to say? Everything worked out as it was supposed to. But I might visit you later anyway.”

“I’ll hold you to that”, Rex said and stepped out of the way as Fives pushed the door open.

Rex heard him mutter something about people who turned the automatics off too soon, but his attention was drawn elsewhere. As the door opened, his eyes found the sky where the last colours of the day still lingered. Endless lines of glimmering vehicles added their own tiny sparks into the clouds.

The glow of the setting sun illuminated the clouds in pinks and purples. Behind them the sky was blue and orange and turquoise, and he could smell the light in the air that flowed past with the cool breeze.

In front of him millions of lamps were slowly turned on one by one, until the city would look like an extension to the sky. The first stars were already lighting up above his head.

Rex left the grey windows behind and stepped out, into the last light of the day that held the promise of a new morning to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this scribble! And oh boy, were these last two chapters hard to write.
> 
> Now. If you have noticed while reading that my language is imperfect and a mess between American and British spelling and words, that’s because it is. My English did not come from the people around me but from books, TV and the Internet. That being said, I repeat what I said back in the first chapter. If you notice any mistakes, I promise I won’t bite if you let me know. Probably.
> 
> Towards new adventures.


End file.
